Sara Gideon (D), who lost her challenge to Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) last November, still had $11.5 million in her campaign account on March 31, according to FEC filings.
Kellyanne Conway Takes Sides In Ohio Senate Race
“Kellyanne Conway, who served as campaign manager and counselor to former President Donald Trump, has been named a senior adviser to Ohio Senate hopeful Bernie Moreno, taking sides in a race that has become a fight over which GOP candidate is closest to the former president,” Politico reports.
U.S. Could Have 300 Million Extra Vaccine Doses
“The United States is on track to have gathered an oversupply of hundreds of millions of coronavirus vaccine doses as soon as July, even while many countries in the developing world will have to wait years to vaccinate a majority of their populations,” the Washington Post reports.
“The estimates, included in the paper alongside recommendations, come as the Biden administration faces mounting pressure to facilitate equitable vaccine distribution around the world. The United States has pledged money to the global immunization effort, but has resisted calls to share vaccine technology or donate surplus doses.”
Bloomberg: Vaccine doses are piling up across the U.S. as some regions resist.
Quote of the Day
“It’s just a ballpark figure. It doesn’t — it may not even be that much. I don’t know. I just kind of threw that out as a talking point.”
-Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), quoted by Huffington Post, when asked about why her figure of $600 to $800 billion represented the “sweet spot” for her caucus on infrastructure spending.
Katie Porter Builds Huge War Chest
Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), who represents an important swing district, raised $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2021 and has over $11.5 million in the bank, according to her FEC filings.
Collins Outlines Her Concerns with Infrastructure Plan
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) says Republicans have only three concerns with President Biden’s proposed infrastructure package: its scope, its topline costs, and its pay-fors.
Republicans Air Grievances at Intelligence Committee
Politico: “Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee used the panel’s first public hearing in five years on the United States’ most dire global threats to air a range of domestic grievances to intelligence and law enforcement leaders Thursday — from the prosecution of former Trump administration official Michael Flynn to the Steele dossier to antifa.”
Biden Still Hasn’t Spoken to Kevin McCarthy
President Biden still hasn’t spoken to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy since taking office “and it’s beginning to get under the skin of the usually affable California Republican,” The Hill reports.
Said McCarthy: “Just as I’ve sat down with President Trump, I’d like to sit down with President Biden. I’ve actually requested meetings on the border crisis. Never had a meeting, never spoken to President Biden since he’s been elected… A number of times I’ve requested the meetings, he’s never even acknowledged them.”
Matt Gaetz Told Kevin McCarthy He’s Innocent
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he has met privately with Rep. Matt Gaetz and that the Florida Republican denied any impropriety stemming from a federal sex trafficking investigation that’s entangled him, Politico reports.
Said McCarthy: “I’ve spoken to Mr. Gaetz about the accusations. He’s told me he’s innocent of the accusations.”
What Virginia Tells Us About the Republican Party
Join now to continue reading.
Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.
Maxine Waters to Jim Jordan: ‘Shut Your Mouth!’
During a meeting of the House Coronavirus Crisis Subcommittee on Thursday, Chair Maxine Waters (D-CA) had to intervene in a shouting match between Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Daily Beast reports.
Jordan kept ranting after his time expired, prompting Waters to yell: “You need to respect the chair and shut your mouth!”
Liz Cheney Won’t Support Trump In 2024
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) told Fox News that she won’t support Donald Trump even if he’s the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Ted Cruz Threatens to Burn John Boehner’s Book
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “responded to fiery criticism from John Boehner with a tactic beloved of authoritarian regimes: threatening to burn his book,” The Guardian reports.
“In an email to supporters, the Texas politician said he also might machine-gun or chainsaw the memoir, depending on how much his supporters paid for the privilege to watch.”
Cruz added that he would livestream the evisceration or incineration of the book.
U.S. Says Manafort Associate Gave Polling Data to Russia
The U.S. Treasury Department said Thursday that Konstantin Kilimnik, an associate and ex-employee of Paul Manafort, “provided the Russian Intelligence Services with sensitive information on polling and campaign strategy,” during the 2016 election, Just Security reports.
It’s the first definitive statement from the U.S. government on the matter.
Washington Post: The government finally connects the line from Trump’s campaign to Russian intelligence.
Biden’s Approval on Economy Finally Matches Trump
A new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll finds 54% of U.S. adults approved of President Biden’s handling of the economy.
This marks “the first time his approval numbers have been on par with those enjoyed by Donald Trump in an area where the former president consistently received high marks from the public and on which he staked his political career.”
Pelosi Won’t Bring Up Bill to Expand Supreme Court
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she has “no plans” to bring a Democratic-led bill to expand the Supreme Court to the House floor for a vote, The Hill reports.
Said Pelosi: “No. I support the president’s commission to study such a proposal, but frankly I’m not — right now, we’re back, our members, our committees are working. We’re putting together the infrastructure bill and the rest.”
Washington Post: 4 ideas for Supreme Court reform.
Get Ready for Earth Day!
Earth Day is next week and it will be mostly virtual again this year.
Sara Goddard has some good tips for celebrating and also offers 10 book recommendations so you can learn more about protecting the environment.
Biden Has Greater Approval Gap Than Predecessors
A new Gallup poll finds an 86-point gap in approval rating between Democratic and Republican voters, 96% to 10%.